Christine Jenneiahn may be 85 years old but that doesn't mean she's an easy target. When a masked, armed man broke into her Idaho home threatening her and handcuffing her to a chair, she fought back, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and ultimately killing the attacker.
AND she lived to tell the tale.
Elderly Woman Wakes Up to a Nightmare
Wooden chair and handcuffs used by armed assailant in home invasion in Idaho.
KSL News/Bingham County Sheriff's Office
It was 2 a.m. on March 13 when Christine woke up, shocked to find herself staring down the barrel of a loaded 9-mm pistol.
According to the Bingham County Sheriff's Office, the assailant, wearing a black ski mask and a camouflage jacket, broke in through a window.
After pistol-whipping her across the head, the man, later identified as 39-year-old Derek Condon, dragged her out of bed and down the hall to the living room where he handcuffed her to a wooden chair. With a gun to her head, Condon then demanded to know if there was anyone else in the house and where she kept the valuables.
Wanting to protect her adult son with disabilities who was sleeping downstairs, Christine lied and told him that she was alone.
Condon left her handcuffed in the living room while he went off in search of loot. Christine seized the opportunity. She lugged the chair to her bedroom, grabbed her .357 Magnum revolver from under her pillow, and then returned to the living room, hiding the gun in the couch cushions beside her.
Then, she waited.
At some point Condon returned, threatening to kill her. Terrified, Christine knew it was "now or never." She drew her gun and fired, striking him twice.
"Condon returned fire and emptied a 9 mm pistol into Christine striking her multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm, and chest," states a report posted to the County Sheriff's Facebook page.
Condon crawled to the kitchen where he died of his wounds. Christine, still handcuffed to the chair and riddled with bullet holes, "fell to the floor." She remained there for 10 HOURS before her son finally came upstairs and gave her a phone so she could call 9-1-1.
Police arrived just after noon to find her son, David, standing in the doorway. Officers "provided life-saving measures on her" and rushed her to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. She has since been released.
An Incredible Act of Bravery
The official incident report on a home invasion in Bingham County, Idaho.
Bingham County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
During their investigation, deputies discovered that Condon was suffering from mental health issues and PTSD from the time he served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In an interview with police, Christine revealed that she didn't want to shoot Condon but she felt like she didn't have a choice. She feared for both her life and her son's life.
"I'm a very nice old lady but you can only push somebody so far."
Christine Jenneiahn via KSL News
As for the prosecuting attorney's office, they won't be pressing any charges.
"This case presents an easy analysis of self-defense and justifiable homicide. It also presents one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of," Prosecuting Attorney Ryan W. Jolley wrote.
Summarizing the harrowing events he said, "He [Condon] had told Christine he would kill her multiple times. He had broken into her home in the middle of the night, handcuffed her to a chair, and struck her with his firearm. Her disabled son was downstairs in his room."
"That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible. Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night."
Prosecuting Attorney Ryan W. Jolley
Not to mention, never mess with Mama.
In the face of extreme danger, Christine didn't let her age or fear prevent her from saving her life and that of her son. She did what any mother would do...fiercely protect her child at all costs. Christine's heroic actions don't just speak to the power of self-preservation, they are a true testament to a mother’s love. And there is nothing in this world more powerful.
*Featured image contains photo by Anna Shvets and Rafael Classen rcphotostock.com
Let Your Dreams Propel You Through Valleys and Over Mountains
Each one of us has a light within that radiantly burns; it never goes out. Life's challenges and inconsistencies may weigh you down, but let your dreams catapult you beyond all mental, physical, and psychological limitations -- be merciless in your pursuit of self-actualization. Use untapped potential within to fire up your internal engines; shift all gears to go, blast through all impediments. Ignore the negative environmental noise, which threatens to consume. Focus. Determine to turn all obstacles into rafts and propel yourself across life's turbulent waters. Never stop. Never give in. Never give up.
Let Your Dreams Propel You Through Valleys and Over Mountains
Aspire
Push forth with your dreams and goals no matter the setbacks. Be grateful to those who stick with you no matter what. Always find the time to say thank you to those who helped. Send them positive vibes even if they are no longer in your life. Aspire to do better at every juncture of your journey.
As a young black girl growing up in my Caribbean island home, I longed to cross the waters surrounding jagged, limestone shores. There were hardly any signs telling me I could rise above the struggle and violence of a broken home. Nevertheless, I dreamed to one day do better; I dreamed to one day go further -- I dreamed to soar.
When I mentioned my dreams to those around me, many smiled dismissive smiles. However, my mom encouraged and believed in me from her own broken place. She often said, "If anyone can do it, you can!" When inherited brokenness cost me friendships, jobs, lovers and my education, she encouraged me to keep going. She believed my dreams would take me through valleys and over mountains.
Visualize
Never lose sight of your goals and aspirations. There will be days when obstacles rise up, but have no fear -- obstacles are an important part of the process. They help you to grow, so embrace them when they appear. To me, obstacles are the universe's way of saying you are on the right track. Visualize how you want your end goal to look like as you keep surging forward.
Over the years, I figuratively crossed numerous faraway mountains and traversed countless overgrown valleys. Every step has been painstakingly minuscule, but I persisted. Over and over I shared my dream to be a published writer and artist to all who would listen. An immigrant and high school dropout with no inheritance as a buffer, I carved doors with my worn-out hands; I walked unpaved roads with my bare feet. Along the way, my determination created opportunities to meet kind-hearted people who saw my passion and helped propel me forward, eventually leading me to Mount Holyoke as a Francis Perkins Scholar.
Yes, I made many mistakes in my youth, most self-inflicted -- we sometimes do in our pursuit of betterment. However, when lessons needed learning, I evolved and kept moving at the same time.
Accept
Cultivate acceptance early. There are some situations and people you have to accept because there are no other options. Instead of fighting to hold on to the things you cannot change, accept, let go and keep flowing.
As time shuttled by I embraced humility -- I accepted those unfixable situations; I let go of unsupportive family; I gave up shallow friendships. In time, I realized, in order to give myself to others, I first had to heal my internal wounds. By accepting and taking responsibility for my shortcomings, doors opened that were previously closed. When the death of a close family member forced me to face life's unknowns and uncertainties, my faith was strengthened; when personal illness threatened my mortality, my faith was deepened. I have travelled far and wide in search of my truth -- not knowing, until now, that it was always here.
Finally, my dreams brought me back home to the place where I started. Today, even in the midst of an ongoing struggle, calm and peace still pervades no matter the crisis of the day.
Rise above
Know that all situations in your life have one thing in common: you. Take responsibility and keep making room for positive growth.
Although I had dreams that took me through difficult and dangerous mountains and valleys, I had the power and determination within me to keep going. This process is still ongoing today and will continue until I leave this earth. I am constantly reconfiguring and adjusting my dreams, even though, at the core, the goal is the same.
Nowadays, flexibility is my best friend, and I am persistent in finding ways to adapt to whatever comes my way. I found that incorporating daily self-reflection is essential to keeping my dreams alive and to manifesting my goals. Another lesson learned was the importance of embracing constructive criticism and not taking everything personally. In order to keep rising up, you must be mature enough to cast off internal slights and resentments, which tend to hold you back.
As time passes by, I continue to see the correlations between my inner and outer world. It is fascinating to see the connections; to finally understand that I am in control of my reality.
Hold fast to your dreams
In the end, the path of the pebble you threw, in the pond of your life, will ripple far and wide. Since yours is the hand that tossed it, all actions caused by that ripple will accrue to you. Do what’s necessary to uncover your truth and discover your path, but know all roads lead back to you. No matter your circumstance or situation, let your dreams take you through valleys and across mountains, but know the grass is always greener where you stand.